Illegal wastewater discharges endanger animals and plants in and around bodies of water
Water abstraction ban for Chemnitz waters still in force
The Lower Water Authority of the Environmental Department of the City of Chemnitz appeals to all residents of Chemnitz to dispose of contaminated water exclusively via the municipal wastewater or combined sewerage system. For the disposal of paint residues and other problematic waste, the ASR's pollutant mobile is always available on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at one of the city's recycling centres.
In recent weeks, the Lower Water Authority has received an increasing number of reports of pollution caused by illegal discharges of wastewater, including into the Gablenzbach and Chemnitz rivers. In some cases, such discharges are not intentional, but are caused by ignorance and carelessness, for example by buckets being emptied into street inlets after painting work. In the case of separate sewer systems, this water then ends up directly in the watercourse. Together with the currently already low water levels, this causes lasting damage to the watercourse, as there are hardly any dilution effects.
In any case, discharging wastewater into a body of water without a permit under water law is an administrative offence that can result in a fine of up to 50,000 euros. In individual cases, this can even be prosecuted as a criminal offence under Section 324 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) and reported to the police.
The Lower Water Authority would also like to point out once again that a ban on water extraction applies in Chemnitz. The corresponding general decree was published in the official gazette of the City of Chemnitz on 24 June 2022. Accordingly, any water extraction with technical aids from water bodies in Chemnitz for personal use is prohibited until 30 September 2022. Due to the lack of precipitation that has prevailed for weeks, the water levels in the water bodies are currently very low. Limited rain showers and thundershowers are hardly helping to ease the low water situation. The low water levels and rising water temperatures are reducing the oxygen content of the water. This reduces the self-cleaning capacity of the water. As a result, more algae grow and fish and microorganisms die.
The Lower Water Authority is available to answer citizens' questions about current water legislation by telephone on 0371-4883601 or by email at umwelt.wasser(at)stadt-chemnitz.de.